


bad ideas

by Phoenix_Allura (Artemis_Autumn_Marie)



Series: Nix's Whumptober 2019 [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: All the time, Awesome Shuri, F/M, Hurt Tony, Hurt Tony Stark, I love her, Injury, Kidnapping, Really great, Shuri's POV, Vague bad guys, Whumptober 2019, brief mentions of donuts, she's just
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 23:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21607423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_Autumn_Marie/pseuds/Phoenix_Allura
Summary: Whumptober Day 6: Dragged awayShuri is enjoying a day with Toni, messing with tech, when she overhears Teela and Nakia.Then everything goes wrong
Relationships: Shuri & Tony Stark, Tony Stark/T'Challa
Series: Nix's Whumptober 2019 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1507226
Comments: 3
Kudos: 142





	bad ideas

“Shuri, you wanna come grab donuts with me?” Toni asks, rolling by in her chair. Shuri looks at the project she started three hours ago with little progress before sighing and twisting up her hair quickly.

“Sure. Maybe a break will help me think of something.”

“I know how you feel. I hate it when I can’t get anything done.” Toni offers her a sympathetic smile. “Do you want to go to the good donut place two blocks away or the cheap one right down the street?”

“The good one,” Shuri answers quickly. “If you wouldn’t mind, sister.” Toni can’t hide her startled grin.

“I asked, didn’t I?” They loop arms and head up.

“Morning, Teela.” Toni greets the woman cheerfully–only one of the four Dora Milaje sent with Shuri to New York–and gets an eye roll in response.

“It is three in the afternoon.”

“Well, three in the afternoon is still a good time to get donuts,” Toni says.

“You both might want to clean up a bit, then.” Nakia, leaning on the doorframe, winks at Shuri as she turns around. “I’m not sure even the eccentricities of Toni Stark can cover taking the Princess of Wakanda out for donuts dressed in grease.” Shuri glances down at her shirt. It is oil-streaked, and her pants are the same way. Toni doesn’t look any better.

“We’ll shower and change first, then,” Toni says. They meet back up no more than fifteen minutes later in the kitchen, where Teela and Nakia are talking quietly.

“You must go back.” Is all Shuri catches, the urgency in Teela’s voice alarming.

"I will. Tomorrow. Someone has to escort Shuri and Toni to the donut shop."

Sometimes Shuri hates that she has to have the Dora Milaje with her all the time, but until she turns eighteen, she has no other option.

"I'll shadow them," Teela says firmly. "Come in, Princess, Dr. Stark."

"So, we all ready to go?" Toni breaks the tension easily. She spins Shuri around, squeezing her hand gently as she leads her out of the room.

Shuri is reminded, suddenly, that Toni had had bodyguards too, as a little girl.

That she’d defended herself for years and now had them again.

“What are you stuck on?” Toni asks as they walk, both aware of Teela following them.

“I can’t figure out an efficient power source that won’t be too bulky or, like, explode.” Shuri throws her hands in the air, exaggerating. Toni starts laughing, but softly, and it doesn’t feel like it’s aimed at her.

“Oh, hon! You should have said something, I would have given you a few ideas.”

“I’m trying to avoid using arc technology, but I don’t think it’ll be possible with this project,” Shuri admits. She’s been hoping to come up with something else that will work just as well.

“I’ll take a look when we get back and we can brainstorm,” Toni promises as they sit down, each holding two donuts. They changed the subject; talking about their work only made it easier for them to be recognized and that was the last thing either of them wanted.

Standing, Shuri watches Toni stretch.

And then she freezes, looking out the window.

“Get down, under the tables, everyone!” She yells, pushing Shuri under one herself. Teela is there, ready to fight, and Toni’s armor (Iron Queen, because Shuri had insisted and T’Challa had made the name stick) folds over her seamlessly.

Shuri wishes for more weapons than the knives in her shoes and the whips in her hair.

Wishes she could see what was going on.

“Shuri, stay down for now. If you can get your whips or knives out, feel free to join.” Toni’s voice comes from her palm, just loud enough to be heard, and she glances down to see the earpiece Toni must have pressed there earlier.

“Got it.” She replies, wishing again that she hadn’t left her own ‘repulsor’ tech at the Tower.

That’s the last thing she remembers.

When Shuri wakes up, she’s in a dark room, barefoot. Her hair is still up, so that’s something. She doesn’t think anyone is with her, which is worrying. If they wanted her, assuming that’s what had happened, they would have taken Toni as well. And Teela. She pushes herself to her feet, feeling along the walls for anything, anything at all.

There’s nothing. Completely smooth, wallpapered the whole way. There’s a wooden door but no handle, so it locks from the outside and she can’t pick it.

“Princess, good to see you awake.” The lights turn on, bright and blinding, but Shuri doesn’t flinch. She’s too well-trained for that. “Are you surprised to find Toni Stark is in there with you?” No, she wasn’t. Toni, though, was in the middle of the floor, unconscious, and that was surprising. Normally, captors don’t leave their hostages unbound and able to freely wander, no matter how unconscious they are.

Especially not when the captive is Toni Stark.

Shuri moves carefully to the center of the room.

“Toni? Toni, can you wake up, please?” She keeps her voice quiet, though she suspects it doesn’t matter.

“She will wake soon enough. Until then, Princess.” The voice, coming over a crackly speaker, is average: not deep, but not high, neutral, but definitely male. The lights stay on, and Shuri sits by Toni’s side.

She almost looks peaceful.

Sitting there, Shuri loses all track of time; it’s not until Toni wakes up that she realizes how long it’s been.

“Shuri, you’re alright.” Is the first thing she says.

“Yes. I am fine. Are you?”

“Headache, but otherwise I’m good. Has anything happened yet?”

“Someone came over the speaker when I first woke up but that’s all.” It had been kind of boring.

“And I am back, Princess, Dr. Stark. If you would kindly refrain from attacking when the door opens.” The door did indeed open, though they hadn’t confirmed anything. “Now, you have a choice, Dr. Stark. I understand you are engaged to King T’Challa?”

“That would be correct.” Toni rolls her eyes at Shuri subtly.

“What would you say he would give to have you back? Or his sister?”

So they were leverage.

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Well, I guess we’re going to find out.” The voice becomes steely. “Grab the girl. We’ll see what her brother offers for her first.” The men standing behind the door rush in and–

Toni jumps in front of her.

“Don’t you know what will happen if you hurt Wakanda’s darling princess? You’d be ended in a minute.”

“You, Dr. Stark, are showing your hand.”

“What, you think I’d like to see her hurt? And besides, you know I’m right.” The men’s grips were tighter on Toni’s arms than they had any right to be, and she wasn’t flinching. Wasn’t backing down.

She was really going to do this.

She was going to sacrifice herself… for Shuri.

“Hit her.” The voice says. Toni’s neck twists with the force of the blow, but all she does is grin.

(Something inside Shuri knows this is far, far from the worst kidnapping Toni Stark has experienced.)

“We will be taking the princess, Dr. Stark, whether you like it or not.”

“No, you won’t.” Shuri backs herself into a corner–better to play the scared girl and be able to get her whips free than stand tall now and be defenseless later. The men hit Toni again, releasing her arms so her knees crack against the floor.

“Stop.” The voice says. “If she’s so desperate for torture, bring her down. It certainly won’t hurt the plan.” The men haul Toni to her feet, but she’s dazed now–Shuri can tell.

They yank her out the doorway.

Down the hall.

Turn left.

And she disappears.

Shuri stares at that hallway. The hallway they had just dragged Toni down. The hallway they had just dragged her _sister_ down.

All because Toni refused to let her get hurt.

Bast, she hopes T’Challa will come for them soon.

Or maybe she can come up with a better plan.

The idiots left the door open, after all.

"Now sit tight, Princess, Dr. Stark will be returned to you shortly." The voice didn't seem to know the door was open.

Maybe there weren't cameras, only mics.

Oh, that was funny.

Shuri waits a moment, breathing shakily, as if scared, before moving. It doesn’t take long to cross the room, even moving slowly and silently.

She peeks into the hallway. No one is there.

“Too scared to answer, Princess?” Shuri bit her lip. She has to say something at the risk of giving away her position. She moves back to the center of the room, quickly.

“I can hear you moving. Go on, Princess, speak.”

“Why-why would you take us?” She allows herself to sound scared, timid, worried, a little girl in need of rescuing. The more she plays into expectations, the more she will be underestimated.

“My friends here tell me you just huddled in the corner while we took Dr. Stark. I know you must be scared, but you don’t want to hurt you. If you listen, you’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” Shuri says, moving back to the door. Still no one. She follows the path they took Toni down.

After the left, she doesn’t know what way to go. There doesn’t seem to be anyone around, so she takes the time to loosen the whips in her hair.

“Dr. Stark is being uncooperative.” She hears from the right fork. “We may need to get the girl.”

“Not yet.” It’s the voice from the speaker. Shuri ducks into the left fork, though she doesn’t think she’ll be found. “Leave the girl alone.” They pass her, and she runs as quietly as she can down the right fork, searching for Toni. 

She finds her, blood streaking her face, struggling to untie herself from a chair. Her wrists are already raw and bleeding.

“I got it.” Shuri untangles the knots quickly. “Let’s get out of here.” She helps Toni to stand, noting that she’s limping on her left leg slightly.

“Oh, Princess, you think you’re so tricky. There’s no place for you to hide, and the good doctor has a broken leg. How do you think you’re going to get out of here?” Was he stupid? Like, actually stupid? Shuri glances at Toni, who touches her throat. Her bracelets are noticeable, so she made them into a necklace instead.

“You got your whips?” Toni’s voice is a hoarse whisper.

“Yes.” Shuri slides them out of her hair as Toni lets the Iron Queen armor melt down her body.

“Then let’s go.”

It’s pathetically easy, even if Toni has a broken leg and a probable concussion. Toni, with the armor, goes first in case they have guns. 

They don’t.

What they do have are five guys, barely trained in hand-to-hand combat. Shuri takes them out easily.

It’s getting back aboveground that’s the tricky part. Even with the armor holding her leg in place and her pain tolerance, Toni is visibly limping.

She’s leaning on Shuri by the time they meet Okoye at the door.

“Broken leg, concussion, I’m not sure what else.” The armor retreats into its casing and Okoye lifts Toni.

“We’ll handle that shortly. For now, it is simply good to have you both back.”

In the jet, Shuri lets her shoulders slump.

They’re safe.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> Has it been a while? Yes. Is it here? Also yes. At this rate I'm going to be writing these into 2020.  
> Well, they're fun, so.  
> Tell me what you thought!  
> Thanks,  
> Nix


End file.
